Jealousy, is it?
by percyjacksonfan
Summary: Percy and Annabeth have been best friends since they were 6 years old. Now they are 17 and things are changing. Percy just got a girlfriend, the one and only Rachel Elizabeth Dare. And when Rachel demands Percy stop being friends with Annabeth, things get a little complicated. Plus there is enough jealousy to go around.
1. School and Surprises

Chapter 1: Annabeth P.O.V.

I would say I have had a good life so far. I mean, granted I'm only 17, but still. I live with my dad, my stepmother and 2 twin half brothers. I have a great group of really close friends, and the greatest best friend, Percy Jackson. He's been my best friend since we were 6 and I don't know what I would do without him. Not to mention all the other incredible people I have had the privilege to meet. There's Thalia and Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Grover Underwood, Nico and Bianca Di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Clarisse La Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf (goes by Beck), Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, and Connor and Travis Stoll. Seriously, I can't describe how much all these people mean to me. We all attend Goode High School and are all juniors. I guess you could say we're popular, but none of us really care, well except for maybe Silena. So yeah I would say that my life is pretty great. Too bad things have to change.

It was the first day back to school after winter break, I was walking through the hallway towards my locker and I saw a couple guys looking me up and down and wolf-whistling, I just rolled my eyes and kept walking. What pigs.  
I got to my locker and noticed I was the first one there, per usual. I opened my locker and started to get everything I needed out when a felt a presence approach. I turned around just in time to see Leo try to scare me. I immediately started laughing at his dejected face, "Aw cheer up Leo, you'll get me one day" He just sighed and replied "No I won't, you're just too good Annabeth. " I smiled. Then Piper and Jason walked up, Jason had his arm swung over Piper's shoulder. "Hey guys. Haha let me guess, Leo didn't get you?" She said looking at me. I laughed and shook my head. After they got here, everyone proceeded to arrive, except for Percy. "Hey, where's Kelp Head?" Thalia voiced the same question that was on my mind, everyone turned to me. I held my hands up in surrender, "I don't know this time you guys." The Stolls both gasped, shocked "WHAT? The great Annabeth Chase doesn't know something, good gods what has the world come to? Travis screamed. I rolled my eyes and turned towards everybody else. I was just about to start talking again, when the hallway turned silent, except for a few quiet whispers. We all turned towards the door and was completely surprised to see Percy Jackson, my best friend, walk in, hand in hand with Rachel Elizabeth Dare.


	2. Nerves and News

Chapter 2: Percy P.O.V.

I've never been one to complain about anything. I've always gotten what I need. I have a great mom who has done so much for me, yeah we've gone through some rough times, but we've survived. I got the best group of friends a guy could ask for, and an even better best friend, Annabeth Chase. Gods, she's incredible. She's smart and talented and just all around amazing. Annabeth has just constantly been my rock through a lot of tough shit and I don't know if I could have gotten through it without her. So yeah, my life is pretty awesome, so why the fuck did I mess it up so bad?

I was actually ready to go back to school, I hadn't seen any of my friends since we left on break, I had talk to Annabeth on the phone a few times, but she was with her mom in San Francisco and I didn't want to bother her too much. I woke up and went downstairs to be met with blue pancakes and my smiling mother. "Well, someone is up early! Could it be because he's ready to see Annabeth?" My mom asked. I scoffed, but couldn't help the smile that spread across my face, "Of course not mom. I'm excited to everyone, not just Annabeth." And with that I started eating and, not soon after, was headed out the door. When I pulled up at school in my car, a gift from my dad, I immediately heard my name being called. I turned around to see Rachel running up to me, squealing and she then jumped into my arms. I laughed and swung her around. "Aww Percy, I missed you!" She said as I set her down. "RED you saw me like 3 days ago." I replied. As a response, she kissed me and I wrapped my arms around her and responded immediately. She pulled away when someone called out her name. She turned towards her friends, Drew and Calypso, and that's when I got a good look at her and, as much as I hate to say it, I was disgusted. She was wearing clothes two sizes too small and her face was caked in makeup. This wasn't the Rachel I knew, but then again Drew was around. See, last year, Rachel was apart of my friend group, but then Drew came along and Rachel fell under her spell and completely transformed into the mean girl that Drew was, same with Calypso. As soon as junior year started, Drew, Rachel, and Calypso kept hitting on me, like non-stop. Right before the end of the school year, I agreed to go on one date with Rachel, but didn't tell anybody. We went out and I saw the old Rachel again, so I asked her to be my girlfriend, thinking that she would come hang out with us again and be the Rachel we all knew and loved. I was brought to reality, when Rachel grabbed my hand and we started walking into school. That's when the nerves hit me, I hadn't told any of my friends we were dating. How would they react? How would Annabeth react?

As soon as we stepped into the hallway, a blanket of silence came over us. I looked up to see my group of friends all staring at us, all their faces were completely and utterly shocked. I locked eyes with a certain grey-eyed genius and smiled. Annabeth just stared blankly at me and then looked down at mine and Rachel's intertwined hands and then back at my face, and then finally she smiled. I started to walk over there, when I was pulled in the opposite direction. "Babe, where are you going, my locker's this way." Rachel questioned. "Um, I'm going to my locker and my friends, but don't worry, I'll come find you later." I kissed her cheek, let her hand go, and started walking towards the group. I could hear the whispers as I walked.

"When did they get together?"

"Aww they look really cute together"

"I thought him and Chase were together. They're so perfect for each other."

That last one surprised me. I thought I was the only thought me and Annabeth would look good together… Wait, forget I just said that. I finally made it to the group and was just about to say hey, when Silena screamed at me, "WHAT? When did you and Princess Bitch start dating?" I took a few hesitant steps back, "Woah, calm down Sil. We just started dating right before we got out for break. And she really isn't that bad." Everyone gaped at me and I couldn't help but notice the hurt expression that flashed across Annabeth's face. Silena then turned to Annabeth, "Did you know about this? Were you helping him keep a secret from us?" Annabeth glanced at me, then looked back at Silena, and cleared her throat, "Umm, no, actually I didn't know." "Oh," was all Silena replied with and an awkward silence settled over us. "Okay, well I better get going. I want to stop by the library before homeroom, so I'll see you guys later." Annabeth said and she started to walk away. "Wait, Annabeth" I called "don't you want to catch up? We barely talked all break." She turned towards me, "Well it seems like I've gotten all the news I need. I'll talk to you later Seaweed Brain." And then she walked away as fast as her feet could take her.

The only thought running through my head: _What the hell did I do?_


	3. Make Ups and Make Outs

Chapter 3: Percy P.O.V.

 **A/N: First, I would like to thank those of you who have reviewed/favorited/followed this story! It means so much to me that you guys enjoy the story so far! I have so many ideas for this story and I'm so excited to keep writing it. With that being said, I am always open to taking suggestions and ideas for this story, you can leave them in the reviews or send me a private message! Now onto the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO and I totally forgot to put this in the first 2 chapters.**

For the first half of the day, she ignored me. My best friend ignored me. I felt completely lost.

In homeroom, she sat on the opposite side of the room with Thalia and rushed out of the room as soon as the bell rang. I had swimming first period, so I didn't see her then. In second period, history, she sat on the same row as me, but had Jason sit between us, so I couldn't talk to her. For third period, Annabeth had study hall, while I was stuck in English.

As soon as the bell rang, I was out of that classroom and running to the cafeteria, knowing there was no way Annabeth could avoid me there. I got to the cafeteria just in time to see Annabeth and Leo sit down at our regular table. I rushed over and sat in the seat beside Annabeth. "Hey Wise Girl!" I smiled at her. She looked up at me, with a smile and replied "Hey." I sighed, "Can I talk to you?" I asked. She smirked, "Isn't that what you're doing right now, Seaweed Brain?" I rolled my eyes. "Look Annabeth, I'm really sorry that I didn't tell you about Rachel. It was stupid of me and I didn't mean to keep anything from you, but I was just worried that you would react… well the way everyone reacted." She locked eyes with me and said "Look Perce, it doesn't really matter, you can do who, i mean, what you want It's none of my business." I rolled my eyes, something I caught from Annabeth, "Oh drop the tough act Princess," She smiled at the first nickname I gave her when we met, I called her princess because her curls reminded me of one, "I know it bothers you that I didn't tell you." She sighed, "Okay fine, so it bothers me, but Percy, I'm your best friend, since we were 6. You've never kept secrets from me." I looked down in guilt, "I know and I'm really sorry, but by the time we were officially dating, you were in San Francisco with your mom and I didn't want to bother you." She smiled at me, "No, it's okay. I understand, but seriously Seaweed Brain, why her? First she lied to us, then she stabbed us in the back, and proceeded to bully us for the past year. You could literally have any, and I mean any, girl in this school and you chose her. Why?" "Because, when we were out on our dates, I saw the old Rachel, you know the fun and happy one. I thought if we started dating, I could bring her back." I said. "You always did have a crush on that Rachel, but I don't think anything is going to bring her back. But you do what you gotta do, I understand. You always see the best in people." She said, grabbing my hand. I brought the back of her hand up to my lips and kissed it, a thing I had been doing since we were kids. "I really am sorry, Annabeth." She smiled, "Eh, you made a mistake Seaweed Brain. What's new?" "Exact- Hey, wait a minute." She started laughing and I couldn't help but smile, "So, are we still doing our back to school ritual?" I questioned. "Of course we are, when have we ever missed that?" "YES !" we both turned to look at Leo, "What? I'm just happy you two made up, it was getting weird," he said. We both laughed, and then we heard someone clearing their throat behind us.

Annabeth and I turned to see Rachel, Drew, and Calypso staring, more like glaring, at us. Rachel glanced at something between me and Annabeth and that's when I became VERY aware that I was still holding her hand, I dropped it like it was lava. I stood up and went to kiss Rachel on the cheek, but she turned and had a full on make out session with me. When she pulled away, her chest was heaving and her lips were red and swollen, I'm sure I wasn't much different "What are you doing over here? Come on babe, let's go sit down." She started to pull my hand towards the cheerleaders table. "Uh, actually I think I'm going to stay here and hang out with my friends." Rachel looked a little hurt and I immediately felt bad, but then she said, "Fine, I'll see you in chemistry then." I smiled as a response. When I turned around I saw everyone had already made it the table and all of them were either making gagging noises, or were laughing. I sat back down in my seat and Annabeth said "Uh, Perce, you've got a little bit of lipstick… everywhere", gesturing to my whole mouth area. I immediately started scrubbing at my face, trying to get it off. I eventually stopped and turned towards Annabeth, "Is it gone?" She nodded and I let out a breath of relief.

After that, we all talked and laughed, just like we always did.

 **A/N: Here is Percy and Annabeth's schedules. I'm not going to make up teachers unless absolutely necessary because I suck at names, but just know that Paul is their English teacher (he'll come into play later).**

 **Percy Jackson Class Schedule:**

 **Homeroom**

 **1st Period- Swimming**

 **2nd Period- English**

 **3rd Period- History**

 **Lunch**

 **4th Period- Chemistry**

 **5th Period-Math**

 **6th Period- Study Hall**

 **Annabeth Chase Class Schedule:**

 **Homeroom**

 **1st Period- Art**

 **2nd Period- English**

 **3rd Period- Study Hall**

 **Lunch**

 **4th Period- Chemistry**

 **5th Period- Math**

 **6th Period- History**


	4. Puns and Problems

Chapter 4: Annabeth P.O.V.

I was so relieved that me and Percy made up at lunch, I honestly wasn't sure how much longer I could have gone without talking to him. Anyway, after lunch, I had chemistry with Percy, Thalia, Silena, Beck, and, sadly, Rachel and Drew. Once we got to the classroom, Percy and I sat down at the same seats we had been sitting in all year, since we were lab partners. "Are you actually going to try this semester, Seaweed Brain?" I questioned as I looked at my best friend. He immediately started laughing, _what a beautiful sound_ , I thought. When he realized I wasn't laughing, "Oh come on, that was a good one. You said TRY and we're in chemisTRY. That's a funny pun." I rolled my eyes, "Okay, sorry, but I mean, why would I try when I have you to do all the work for me, Wise Girl?" He said, as he sent me his signature smirk.

I was about to respond when a hand with a perfect manicure slammed down on the desk and cleared her throat. _I was seriously getting tired of her doing that._ I sighed, knowing exactly who it was, I turned in my seat to look at Rachel.

"Yes, is there something I can do for you?" I asked, as nicely as I could manage. She smiled, very fakely by the way, and replied, "Um I was going to sit there." I scoffed, "But I've been sitting here all year," I said, as I glanced at Percy wearily, "Percy and I are lab partners."

She rolled her eyes, "Um, we can pick new partners for the new semester if we wanted to." "Well, I don't want to. So that sucks for you." I was about to turn around, when her hand grabbed my shoulder, _Gods those nails are painful,_ "You WILL move. Now." She spoke in my ear.

I looked at Percy, like _Aren't you going to do something?_ He looked between Rachel and me several times, he looked like he was thinking very hard, he always looked super cute when he was doing that, his eyebrows get all scrunched together- woah, wait, hold up, I DID NOT say that.

Percy said to Rachel, "Look, Rach…. Uhhh," I rolled my eyes at his stuttering, no matter how many girls he gets, when he gets in an awkward position with women, he turns into a blubbering idiot. He then turned to me, "Do you really care Annabeth? I mean, we have been working together all year." I looked at him in surprise, I could see Rachel's satisfied smirk in the corner of my eye. I was in complete and utter shock. "Oh… well then. I guess not. I can just work with Thalia this semester." I gathered my things and walked over to Thalia's table.

"Hey Thals, mind if I work with you this semester?" I said. She looked at me confused and then at my old station and saw Rachel sitting there. Her expression hardened as she watched Rachel rubbing her hands all over Percy. When she looked back at me, her expression softened, "Of course blondie." She smiled, "Hey, loser, scram!" She said to her old lab partner, the guy looked terrified. He gathered his stuff and ran to the other side of the class. I laughed as I sat down, "You know I've always admired your ability to scare people." She smirked, "It's a gift."

Chemistry was the worst. I had to sit there and watch as Percy and Rachel flirted with each other all class. Every time I glanced over, I could feel anger boiling inside of me, threatening to overflow. Why am I so angry? They're dating and Percy is my best friend, I should be happy for him. And that's when I realized, it wasn't anger I was feeling…. It was jealousy.

 **A/N: Sorry this chapter is kinda short! I promise the next one will be longer!**


	5. Rituals and Reunions

**A'N: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! School got really crazy really fast and I've just felt drained recently. Haven't had any inspiration to write. I hope you guys like this chapter. Please leave a review, I'd love to know what you guys think! Thanks for reading!**

By the end of the day, I was wiped out. All I wanted to do was go home and curl up in bed and watch some episodes of The Office. As soon as the bell rang at the end of history, I was walking out of school as fast as humanly possible. "Annabeth!... Annabeth, wait up!" I heard someone calling, I turned around to see Percy running past people, not that he really needed to, the students parted for him like the red sea, and that's when it hit me. We were supposed to do our back to school ritual. Once we finally caught up with me, he smiled "Hey, are you ready to go?" I looked down, "Umm look, I don't really feel good. I've got a really bad headache, so maybe we could do the tradition tomorrow… or something." When I finally looked up at him, I knew it was a mistake because he was giving me the puppy dog eyes, and no matter how long I had been friends with Percy I could never resist his eyes. They were like 2 separate oceans, swirling, chaotic, and hypnotizing. I swear those eyes were going to be the death of me. I sighed, "Oh Perce, don't give me that look," he then jutted his bottom lip out in protest, "Fine, let's go." Immediately he smiled and did a little dance. "Wise Girl, I promise I'll make up everything that has happened today." He said, as he slung his arm over my shoulder, I just rolled my eyes, as we walked. I was half expecting Rachel to come up and demand that Percy go with her but soon we were walking down the streets of New York and leaving Goode High school in the distance.

Once we stepped into the coffee shop, the familiar feeling of comfort wrapped around me like a warm blanket. Percy and I had found this place when we were 10 years old and we both needed an escape from our houses, our home lives were pretty much shit back then.

We had been coming to the shop ever since, whenever one of us had had a bad day, we would come here, order some coffee, and just talk. It was our own little oasis, nobody else knew about it.

The coffee shop was my favorite place in the whole world. It was called "Of Books and Coffee", every wall was covered in bookshelves, from floor to ceiling, hence the name. I had found so many good books here, I've lost count.

Percy looked at me, "Why don't you go sit down at our table and I'll go order?" I nodded, knowing he knew my coffee order inside and out. As I waited, I looked around, remembering all the laughs and arguments that had taken place at this table, and I couldn't help but feel like there was going to be one of those today and not the one I liked.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when a steaming cup of coffee was set in front of me.

I smiled up at Percy, "Thanks."

"No problem, Wise Girl." He said as he sat down.

We sat in silence for a few minutes just sipping our drinks, when he broke the silence, "So, uh, how was your first day back? We didn't really see each other much."

"Same old, same old, I suppose. You?" I replied. "It was okay. I got weird looks though." He said, looking confused. I scoffed, "Because you're dating the biggest bitch in school, even though you're the nicest guy in that damn place." "Annabeth...come on. Please give Rachel a chance. Plus we both know Drew is the biggest bitch in school." We both laughed at that and I nodded in agreement. Then he asked the question I'd been dreading, "So how was spending time with your mom?"

And then suddenly the dark brown liquid in my cup became the most interesting thing to me. I hesitated to answer him and he noticed it.

"Annabeth? Are you okay?"

"My mom asked me to live with her." There I said it.

After a few seconds with no response, I looked up at him. He was in shock, "Wha- WHAT? But… you can't leave." he said. "Look, Perce, I don't even know if I'm going. But I did wa-"

"But you're thinking about it." He cut me off. I looked at him wearily, "Of course I'm thinking about it. I mean she's my mom and you know how much I look up to her. I've always wanted to live with her and just be with her." Percy looked down, "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted that way, it was selfish. If you want to go live with your mom, you should." I smiled and grabbed his hand, "Thank you, Seaweed Brain. But like I said I'm not even sure I'm going. I mean it's the middle of junior year and the colleges I like most are in New York. There's a lot to think about"

He nodded, "What did your dad say about it?" I sighed, "I actually haven't told him yet. And I'm not going to unless I actually decide to go. There is no sense in causing a fight between them over nothing. But, enough about me, how was your summer?" Percy smiled, "It was good. I spent most of it in the water, being a lifeguard really had its perks. Umm I hung out with Rachel a lot." He stopped and glanced at me nervously. I nodded, encouraging him to go on. "We had a lot of fun… But that's pretty much it."

As he finished we settled into a silence as we both sipped our coffee. "So, um, is your headache any better?" Percy broke the silence. I looked up, "What?" He looked confused, "You said you had a headache when I caught up with you after school." "Oh, yeah… right, um, it's fine." He rolled his eyes, "Look, Wise Girl, I don't want me and Rachel dating to come bet-" "Annabeth!" a voice interrupted him, I turned and found a very familiar face. I gasped, "Luke! It's so good to see you!" I said as I stood up to hug him, "What are you doing in New York?" He smiled, "Did you already forget? I'm transferring to NYU this fall." I smacked a hand to my forehead, "Oh yeah! That's right! I can't believe I forgot." He smirked, "Well it's understandable, it's not like we were exactly sober when I told you." He laughed and then Percy stood

"Um, hi I'm Percy, Annabeth's best friend." Luke looked at him and accepted Percy's waiting hand, "Hey man, it's nice to meet you, Annabeth talks about you a lot," I blushed at that, "I'm Luke." Percy nodded, "So how do you know Annabeth?" Luke pressed a hand to his heart and scoffed, "Little Annie hasn't talked about me before? I'm very, deeply hurt." I blushed and answered Percy's question, "Luke is an old friend from San Francisco. We first met when I was 7 and I had gone to visit for the summer and just kept in touch." I could see Percy's jaw clench, "Oh, okay, well that's cool." Luke looked back down at me, "So Annie, maybe we can catch up for a little?" He looked towards Percy, "If it's alright with you, can I steal her for a little while?" I responded before Percy could, "I would love to catch up, Luke. You don't mind, right, Seaweed Brain?" Percy looked tense, "Sure not at all. I guess I'll see you at school then Annabeth." Percy walked out of the coffee shop and Luke sat down in his place. Surprisingly my headache had disappeared.


	6. Anger and Advice

Chapter 6: Percy P.O.V.

 _Who the hell is Luke? What kind of name is Luke anyway?_

I thought as I laid on my bed the night after the 1st day of school. I was still fuming after what happened at the coffee shop.

Annabeth had never left me for anyone. We always stuck together, and then this guy, Luke, swoops in all high and mighty and just takes her. Ugh, I hate him… I know I don't know him, but I hate him. And what was that comment about "not being sober" or whatever; Annabeth never drink. I'm the party one, she's the levelheaded one, that's the way the relationship works. And what about-

"Percy. Come down for dinner." My mom yelled, interrupting my thoughts. I stood up and walked downstairs, and met my smiling mom.

"Hey honey," she said as I walked in, when she saw my face she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Well today at the coffee shop, there was this guy an-"

"Wait, I thought you were dating Rachel and since when did you start liking guys?" My mom questioned.

"No, No, mom! I am dating Rachel and I'm not gay! He was there and he knew Annabeth."

"Ohh." My mom said nodding, "Sorry, continue."

I then told her everything that happened, starting with walking into school with Rachel and then ending with me walking out of the coffee shop.

"Well, honey, you can't get mad at Annabeth having other friends, whether they are more than friends or not. She can make her own decisions and you have to let her, just as she let you." My mom said while walking towards the kitchen with her plate.

I sighed and stood up to follow her, "I know, mom, but just from one conversation I could tell this guy was a jacka- umm jerk- I meant jerk," she gave me a disappointing look as I continued "Annabeth deserves way better."

"Percy, you don't even know this boy, you can't just assume that. If it is true, you have to let Annabeth learn that for herself."

I groaned, "Ughhhh, but I can't stand to watch that guy with her."

My mom chuckled.

"Hey! What's so funny? This is serious stuff we're talking about mom."

She smiled at me, "It's just… you sound like a jealous boyfriend. Is that it Perce? Are you jealous of Luke and his relationship to Annabeth?"

I choked on the water I was drinking, "What?! NO, mom, of course, I'm not jealous. And I'm not Annabeth's boyfriend."

"Which I don't understand. You two are so perfect for each other. She's the perfect woman for you." She replied as she started washing dishes.

"Mom, I've told you this a thousand times, Annabeth and I would never happen. She's way out of my league." I said and added as an afterthought "Besides I'm with Rachel."

Mom stopped what she was doing and turned to me, "Perseus Jackson, Annabeth would be a lucky girl to be with you, any girl would be."

I blushed and opened my mouth to respond when the door opened and my step-dad/English teacher, Paul, walked in.

"Hello, you two. How are you?"

My mom smiled and walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek "We are good darling. How as your day? Oh, let me warm you up some dinner and you can tell me about it."

I took that as my cue to leave and I headed upstairs and back to my room. As I laid back down on my bed, one question swirled through my mind:

 _Was I really jealous of Luke?_


	7. Fights and Fear

**Disclamer: I do not own PJO and I keep forgetting to put this in my chapters.**

Chapter 7: Percy P.O.V.

After a restless night with my thoughts, I was deliriously tired as I walked into school the next morning. As I walked to my locker, waving to people as I went, I saw Rachel at her locker and I rushed to get to mine before she saw me. I knew she'd be annoyed with me, I'd been avoiding her texts and calls all last night. I got to my locker and was immediately happy to see Annabeth already at hers, which is right next to mine.

"Hey Wise Girl!"

Annabeth smiles at me, "Hey Seaweed Brain! How was your night?"

I sighed, "Umm it was good. Just had dinner with my mom and did some homework. How was yours?"

She gasped in fake shock "What?! You actually did homework! I'm very proud Perce, you've finally learned something from me."

I scoffed, "Hey! Well, you… uhh... You- Ugh, you're too perfect Annabeth! I seriously have no comebacks."

She laughed "Yeah, I know, anyway my night was fun. I got to catch up with Luke and we had the best night. After the coffee shop, we went to Rockefeller Center and watched all the people skate and fall on their butts, it was really great to see him again."

At the sound of Luke's name, my good mood instantly fell. "Well, that's awesome. I'm gonna go talk to Rachel. I'll see you later." As I turned to walk away, she grabbed ahold of my hand.

"Seaweed Brain, what's wrong?"

I shook my head, "Nothing, don't worry about it." I said, turning back to her. I gave her a half-hearted smile "Really, I'm fine."

She looked at me and she saw straight through my smile, but I guess she could tell I didn't want to talk about because she sighed and opened her mouth to respond.

"Okay bitch, this is the second time, I've caught you with your hand on my boyfriend. You better stop touching him or so help me god, I'll beat your blonde little ass."

 _Oh no… this can't be good._

Annabeth dropped my hand and turned to look at Rachel, "Excuse me?"

Rachel smirked and walked over to me and grabbed my arm, extremely tight, might I add, "You heard me, Annabell, leave Percy alone. He's mine and no matter how hard you try, he'll never love a dumb blonde like you." Rachel responded.

And that was when I knew she has stepped over the line, NO ONE calls Annabeth Chase a dumb blonde. I looked up to Annabeth and she was pissed. She started walking slowly towards Rachel with her signature glare in her eyes.

I could see Rachel flinch when Annabeth got closer, "Ok look here, RED, Percy and I have been best friends since we were 6, and that is not going to change just because some slut like you actually convinced him you aren't using him for a trophy. But if you think you can really beat my ass, you're more delusional than I thought."

Rachel scoffed and let go of my arm to get more in Annabeth's face, by now a crowd had formed "Oh honey, I could take you down and it would be slow and painful."

"Well, if you're so sure" Annabeth replied with her arms spread out "then come on, show me what you got. Or are you too much of a coward? It's okay, you can bac-"

Rachel slapped Annabeth before she could finish her sentence. Everyone froze, I swear that slap was heard from around the world.

Annabeth turned to face Rachel, her cheek bright red, "Did you just slap me?"

Rache smirked and stood with her hand on her hip, "Uh yeah, I did and I will do it again." Rachel raised her hand to hit Annabeth, but right before it hit Annabeth's face, she grabbed her wrist, spun Rachel around, and slammed her into the lockers. Then proceeded to pull Rachel away from the lockers and punch her in the face, and then Annabeth pushed Rachel to the ground and said: "Only bitches slap." And then she stormed off.

Now this all happened within a few seconds, so by the time I came out of my shock, Annabeth was halfway down the hallway and Drew and Calypso were helping Rachel up.

"WHAT THE HELL PERCY? Why didn't you stop her? You just stood there like a big fucking idiot!"

"I'm sorry, Rach. It all happened so fast. Are you okay?" I replied.

She glared, "No, I am NOT okay. But I will be soon enough when I get my revenge on that bitch."

"Woah Woah, revenge? Rachel, you started it. And Annabeth's my best friend, you can't honestly expect me to stand by and let you do whatever the hell you're going to do to her."

Rachel smirked and got close to me, "Oh yeah, about that… You see you have to stop being friends with her."

"WHAT?! Stop being friends with Annabeth, but…" I stopped immediately when I saw the look in Rachel's eyes.

"If you don't stop being friends with her, then we are through. No excuses. Look, babe," her voice took on a seductive tone, and she trailed her nails up and down my arm, "I promise it's for the best, she was dragging you down anyway. But I promise I will make your sacrifice really worth it."

I gulped, "Um I really don't know… I can't just leave Annabeth and all of my friends."

She huffed, "Looking Percy, baby, I'm trying to do what is best for you and for us. You have to trust me, I know what's best. If in a few months, that bitch and the rest of her weirdo friends can be better and understand the way things work around here, then maybe you can become friends with them, but for right now this is the way things have to be. Okay?"

I didn't know what to do. Everything is so messed up now. But I knew one thing I had to do, talk to Annabeth. But I wasn't going to get to do that with Rachel, so I just nodded and said "Okay. Look I should probably get to homeroom. I'll find you later, babe." I kissed her on the cheek and ran off before she could respond.

 _Now Annabeth, where are you?_


	8. Bloopers and Blame

Chapter 8: Annabeth's P.O.V.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, I wish I did.**

After everything that happened with Rachel, I couldn't stand to stay in school. I knew everyone would come up and ask me what happened and the ones who didn't would stare and whisper. I immediately went to the best place I knew, "Of Books and Coffee". I went up to the counter and order my typical order, a caramel latte, and then sat down at a table. I pulled out my laptop and headphones as the barista was bringing my coffee. I pulled up Youtube and typed in "The Office Bloopers" those always cheered me up. **(A/N: This is actually something I do to cheer me up and I highly recommend it. Take whatever your favorite show or movie is and just go online and look for bloopers!)** As I was just getting through the season 3 blooper video someone stopped in front of my table. I looked up to see a goofy smile accompanied by a head of raven black hair. I sighed, "What do you want Percy?"

He walked around behind me and saw what was on my screen, "You typically always get me to cheer you up before turning to Office bloopers."

He said while walking to sit down in the seat in front of me.

"Yeah, well I wasn't sure if you would be allowed to comfort me. I thought you would have needed your girlfriend's permission." I replied.

Percy sighed and slumped down in his chair, and I noticed just how tired he looked, "Look Annabeth, I'm sorry for what Rachel did. Ther-There's no excuse for it. I should have done something, stopped it somehow."

I immediately felt guilty, "No, Perce. It wasn't your fault. The blame is all on Rachel, this is all her fault."

Percy instantly looked up at me, shock on his face, "Wait, Annabeth, it's not all on Rachel. You reacted poorly to the situation and led her on."

After he said that I was extremely pissed, "You've got to be fucking kidding me Perce? She started it, and you're taking her side? She's really changed you." I scoffed and started packing my things.

He said, "I'm not taking sides, Annabeth. I'm just saying you are partly to blame too! Stop being stubborn and own up to it!"

I scoffed, "Did you say the same thing to her? Or did you just comfort her and say 'Don't worry about it baby, it's not your fault.' I mean, come on Perce! Grow a pair and break up with that bi-"

"That's enough, Annabeth! Rachel is my girlfriend, and I'm sick of you and everyone else bashing her. Maybe she was right."

I looked at him, "Right about what?"

"That we should stop being friends for a while."

At that, I froze, "Is that what you want? Or just what she is telling you?"

Percy looked distraught, "I don't know Annabeth. I just can't keep living like this, with you two fighting. I mean it's only been like 2 days and it's already escalated."

I was trying my best to hold back tears, I was feeling so many things, anger, sadness, frustration, it was all too much, "Fine, if that's what you want, then I will leave you alone. Goodbye, Seaweed Brain."

I picked up my bag and ran out of the coffee shop, trying my hardest not to let my tears fall.

 **A/N: Hey Guys! I am so sorry that it has been so long! And I'm sorry this is pretty short, but I wanted to put something up for you guys! I've been really busy with the end of school and other personal things! Plus I've been struggling with some writer's block. But now that it is summer, I plan to start uploading more! Thank you for being patient, I appreciate more than you know!**

 **Anyway, please let me know what you guys think about this chapter and the story as a whole! Thank you!**


	9. Ignored and Impartial

Chapter 8: Percy P.O.V.

 **Please read the author's note at the end of this chapter!**

 _Gods, I am just ready for this week to be over._ I thought as I walked up the steps into Goode High.

After Annabeth ran out of the coffee shop, I might have gotten really angry and knocked over the table… by accident. But the owner kicked me out, told me to come back another day. I then went back to my apartment and changed into a swimsuit and went for a 2-hour swim in our apartment's pool. After that I was so tired, I passed right out.

I got to my locker and was getting out my books when I heard someone open the locker next to mine. I instantly peeked my head out and saw Annabeth. She was looking in her locker and wouldn't even glance in my direction.

I gently tapped her shoulder, "Hey Wise Girl, can we talk? About yesterday."

She then slammed her locker shut, "Oh, are you sure you wanna be seen talking to me?" She said, while looking around, "Wouldn't want you to get in trouble with the girlfriend police."

I sighed and was about to reply when I heard the click-clack of heels that let me know that Rachel, Drew, and Calypso were walking down the hallway, I turned just to confirm my suspicions and when I turned back around, Annabeth was gone, I saw her blonde hair follow her around a corner.

I was instantly annoyed, _You know what? If she wants to be all cold and distant, I can too!_

I walked and met Rachel in the middle of the hallway and gave her a kiss. "Hey babe," I said with a smile. When I looked at her, I noticed the crapload of makeup that barely covered the bruise covering her cheek.

She smiled back, "Hey! Where were you yesterday? After everything that happened with Annabitch, you weren't in any of your classes."

"I know. I just had to clear my head. You know, a lot of stuff happened yesterday, just needed some time to wrap my head around it all."

She grabbed my hand and started walking down the hall, "Oh okay. Next time, just let me know. You had me worried."

I smiled and kissed her cheek, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

She nodded, "I know."

Then the bell rang and we had to part ways for homeroom. When I walked into homeroom, I instantly felt 5 different pairs of eyes glaring at me. I made eye contact with Thalia, Silena, Leo, Piper, and Clarisse, while Annabeth wouldn't even look up from her book. I walked over to an empty seat in front of them and then tried to turn around to talk to them, but none of them responded to any of my questions until I got so annoyed, I started yelling at them.

Then Thalia yelled back, "SHUT UP JACKASS! Why are you even trying to talk to us? I thought we were just "Annabeth's weirdo friends." I mean, Percy, you should have known that we would take Annabeth's side in this."

I immediately started to feel guilty and ashamed, but also very pissed off, "Look, did she even tell you that I was trying to apologize to her this morning and she wouldn't even let me talk." I said, while pointedly looking at Annabeth.

She scoffed, while still looking at her book, she mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that, Wise Girl? I didn't quite hear you." I asked.

She sighed, "I said, Seaweed Brain, that I didn't want to have to beat up your girlfriend again because she got pissed about us talking."

I was going to respond when the bell rang, and they all gathered up their stuff and walked out before I could even think.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Oooo, My first line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At lunch, I sat with Rachel and her friends, but I couldn't stop looking over at my normal table. Every time I looked over, they were all laughing and joking around like nothing had changed like it didn't even matter that I wasn't there.

Whenever I tried to tune into the conversations that Rachel and her friends were having, all I could hear was 'Blah blah blah clothes blah blah blah gossip blah blah' I didn't understand half of what she was saying, but I could feel my friends eyes looking over here every now and then, so I wanted to make it look like I was enjoying myself without them just as much as they were enjoying themselves without me. But it was a lot harder than I wanted it to be and I didn't know how much longer I could keep up the act.

 **A/N: Now I know what you're thinking… it's been a whole month and I didn't update, even though I said I would. And I have no excuses. I will just say that June was a pretty busy month for me and I had no time or energy to actually sit down and write this story. But I did recently take the time to plan where I want it to go and I am happy to say that I have a newfound excitement for what I have planned. Now I did realize that this isn't going to be as long of a story as I had planned, just because I have so many new ideas building up in my head that I want to get started on. So this story is looking like it will be 16 or 17 chapters, including the epilogue. I hope that's enough for you guys!**

 **If you have any ideas or scenes that you want in this story before I finish, please leave it in the reviews or private message me and I will do my best to fit it in! Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And sorry for the long author's note. See you soon!**


	10. Wild and Wet

Annabeth P.O.V.

 **A/N: Hey guys! I am SO sorry if you read this chapter the first time and it was all code. I should have checked it after I uploaded! Here is the correct version.**

 **A/N: I bet you guys are tired of author's notes, right? I promise this is my last one for a while. So I decided that I wanted all of the major drama to go down in the last couple chapters, especially at prom. Do you guys like that idea? I hope so, cause I've already started on the chapter, cause I'm so excited! But I was thinking about when I read other fanfics I always want to read some scenes from both Annabeth and Percy's point of view, cause one just isn't enough. So I was thinking about writing 2 chapters for the prom and having one in Percy's P.O.V. and one in Annabeth's. What do you guys think? Do you want me to do that? Please leave a review if you think I should! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading!**

When I woke up Friday morning, I couldn't have been more relieved. This week was finally over and I could do my best to put it behind me.

It was still so hard for me to believe that my friendship with Percy was over. I mean he was 11 years of my life, that was all thrown away because of a girl. And Rachel Elizabeth Dare of all girls!

But, tonight it was Silena's 'Welcome Back' party. Now typically I'm not a party type of person but I was especially looking forward to forgetting my problems tonight and getting to do that with Luke! I am extremely excited and nervous!

I was walking into school when my phone buzzed, I pulled it out to see a text from Luke: _Can't wait to see you tonight! ;)_

I smiled, He was the sweetest! I instantly typed back a reply: _Me too! :)_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Line Break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day passed in a blur, I was too excited to focus in any of my classes and too distracted to worry about seeing Percy. Before I knew it, I was walking out of the school.

"Annabeth! Hold on! I gotta talk to you!"

I turned to see Silena rushing to me. I smiled, "Hey Sil! You ready for the party?"

She frowned, "Not even close. Will you come over in about an hour and help me set up? Please? Charlie will be there, but I still need all the help I can get!"

I replied, "Sure, I can come over. I just need to go home first and change."

She sighed in relief "Thanks so much! Well, I've got to go! I'll see you soon." She said while running towards her car.

I waved and started my walk home.

Not long after that, I was driving over to Silena's, my dad let me borrow his car tonight, since him, my stepmother, and my brothers flew out to California to visit my dad's side of the family.

I arrived at Silena's… well, her mansion, yeah, her parents are filthy rich. Anyway, I got there and was instantly greeted by an extremely stressed Silena.

"Annabeth! Thank Gods, you're here! Will you please put some cups out everywhere? And start putting the bags of food into bowls and spreading them out around the house?"

I nodded and went straight to work. Before I knew it, guests were starting to arrive and soon after the party was in full swing with a couple hundred tipsy teenagers, myself included.

By the time Luke arrived, I was on the verge of being drunk.

"Hey, Luke! I'm so happy you came!" I said as I hugged him.

He laughed, "Woah, you're already pretty drunk. I guess I need to catch up!"

"Yeah, you do! Come on, let's go get you a drink!"

"Lead the way." He replied.

A few drinks later, Luke and I were equally drunk and dancing our asses off.

And that's where we were when they walked in.

 _Wow, he looks good. Casual, like he doesn't care, but he always looks that way._

He was dressed in black jeans and a light gray shirt that hugged his arms in the most perfect way.

 _Damn, he looks really good._

I didn't realize I was staring until it was too late and we had already made eye contact. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I forgot he had never seen me drunk. See I hardly ever drink, but after so many years of being so tightly wounded and worrying about everything, I decided to just let loose. And the person who helped me do it was dancing really close behind me. And that's when I was brought back and reminded about Luke. I turned away from Percy and focused on Luke. I turned around to face him.

I put my lips really close to his ear so that he could hear me "Hey, let's take a break. It's too hot in here."

He just nodded in response and we walked out by the pool.

I sat down and stuck my feet in, "Ahh that feels good! Come on," I said, patting the concrete next to me, "Join me."

He knelt down and followed my actions. I looked up and saw the stars, "Look at that. You can't typically see the stars when you're this close to the city, all the light pollution covers them. It's crazy, isn't it? I mean that some of these stars are already de-"

I was cut off by Luke pulling my face towards his and smashing his lips on mine. I responded immediately. We sat there, like that, for a few minutes until he pulled away and I started smiling like a complete maniac.

"I'm sorry," I whispered against his lips.

His face reflected how confused he was, "Sorry? About wha-"

I responded by pushing him into the pool. He came up for air a few seconds later and I was standing by the edge.

"Whoops. I am just so sorry." I said while laughing.

He smiled and started to climb out, "Yeah, you already said that. But you know, I'm also sorry."

Before I could react, he grabbed and jump into the pool with me in his arms. As soon as I came up for air, Luke grabbed me and started kissing me again. It felt good to want someone and have them want you back. Although kissing Luke felt nice, it just wasn't what I expected it to be. I mean not that I had anything to compare it to, cause he's the only person that I've kissed, but it just felt kinda weird.

We stayed in the pool for an hour or so, talking a little bit, but mostly making out. Then I heard someone yell "CANNONBALL" and I immediately felt the water being splashed up around me from others jumping in. I guess someone saw us jumping in and decided to get everyone to follow.

Luke and I climbed out since we were still in our clothes and the pool was getting way too crowded.

Luke turned to me as we were walking up back to the house, "Hey I think I have a change of clothes in my car. I'm gonna go grab em, okay?"

I nodded, and he went through the back gate to his car. I was walking through the patio doors when I heard the voice.

"Wow, what a show that was."

I turned to see Percy standing in the shadows. I just rolled my eyes at him and continued to the stairs so I could grab the spare clothes I bought in case I had to spend the night.

I felt his presence follow me up the stairs, but I refused to acknowledge him.

Once I was in Silena's guest bedroom, I turned around to look at him, "What do you want?" I asked him angrily.

"Annabeth, can I just talk to you for a minute? Please." He said as he sat down on the bed.

"I just have one question… Why the hell are you with Luke?"

I was completely shocked by his question. "Excuse me? That's none of your damn business. In case you forgot, Perce, we aren't friends anymore!"

He just smirked, "That wasn't an answer, Wise Girl."

"Okay look, you want an answer. It's because Luke is kind and sweet and honest and trustworthy. And he has always put me above everyone else, which is something I want, something I deserve. So, even though I don't owe you a single fucking thing, there's your answer. You can go now." I pointed to the door.

He scoffed and narrowed his eyes, "What is that supposed to mean?

I walked till we were face to face, a couple inches away from each other and I said in a low voice, "It means that Luke is way better to me than you ever were Percy Jackson."

Percy just started laughing, "Seriously?! If you think he's gonna do anything except leave after he gets in your pants, then you're fucking crazy, Annabeth. That's all he wants from you."

That one hurt, "Well if you think that's all someone could want me for, then I really don't know you anymore." I said as I took a couple steps away from him, refusing to look him in the eyes.

"Oh, gods. I did not mean that Annabeth. I swear, it just came out."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter anymore. I won't be an issue after this year anyway." I replied, absentmindedly. As soon as I realized what I said, I looked up in shock.

He looked really confused, "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Oh umm, I'm moving to San Francisco after the school year finishes. To be with my mom."

He looked heartbroken for a minute and all I wanted to do was reach out and hug him, but as quick as it came, it disappeared, replaced with a cold, smug look.

"Well, then that's good. I can put our whole friendship behind us and forget it all."

It was my turn to go from shocked to angry, "And I can do the same."  
He looked me in the eyes and said, "Goodbye Annabeth Chase. Have a nice life," and then he walked out. Leaving me with wet clothes and wet eyes.


	11. Drama and Dresses

Chapter 11: Annabeth's P.O.V.

Two months. It has been two months since the party. Two months since Percy and I stopped talking. Not a word. It was now the end of March and school ended in April. Which meant that I moved in April. I wish I could say it felt like winter was leaving and spring was beginning, like the start of something new, but the winter was pretty warm. It snowed like twice in New York and they were both early in the season, which was weird. The temperature pretty much stayed above 60 degrees since December. So it just felt like my spring was extended.

We saw each other, all the time. When we were at school, surrounded by our friend groups, we would glare and ignore each other. When I was at home, by myself, I couldn't help the longing feeling in my chest, aching for my best friend.

But then I got to school the next day and the cycle would repeat again. Of course, Percy clearly wasn't regretting his decision, every time I saw him, he was with her. Smiling, laughing, kissing- gods, it made me sick, to see them together. It was like Rachel completely took my place, and no one seemed to notice.

Now, when I walked through the halls, I heard whispers about how cute they were and how happy they seemed. I couldn't breathe sometimes when I saw them.

That's exactly what was happening when I was sitting in the courtyard with Thalia, Jason, Leo, Piper, and Grover during lunch, just hanging out, having a good time. We were talking about prom and going dress shopping this afternoon. When Percy, Rachel, and their friends came out. They sat on the opposite side of the courtyard, talking and laughing. But I couldn't do it, watch Rachel and Percy enjoy their lives together, so I excused myself. As I was walking away, Jason followed me and we sat down at the edge of the courtyard and he talked to me.

"Annabeth, why don't you just talk to him?"

I scoffed, "Jason, I can't. I told you what he said. He wants to forget about our whole friendship. I'm trying to do that."

He sighed, "You know he didn't mean it. He's just upset and confused. Annabeth, you've been his best friend since you guys were 6 years old. How can you just throw that away?"

I sucked in a breath, trying to keep myself together. "You think I want to do this? I'm moving, in a little over a month. I'm not gonna waste my last few weeks here, trying to get someone as stubborn as Percy to get over himself and be my friend again. I want to spend my last few weeks with the people who truly love me, I want to spend them with you guys."

Jason smiled, "It doesn't feel the same without him, Annabeth. You know that, and I think you're gonna regret it if you don't try to fix it."

I sighed, "Maybe you're right Jase. But I just don't have the energy. This has been weighing on me for 2 months now. I've been killing myself trying to figure out what to do and I'm done. Look, I didn't do anything wrong and Percy clearly made his choice. I have to respect it and I will because I know that I deserve a better best friend than that."

At this point, a few tears had come out. I tried to wipe them away as quickly as I could. When I looked back at Jason, he immediately pulled me in for a hug.

He kissed me on the head and said, "You do deserve better Annabeth. And maybe San Francisco is where you'll find it."

He pulled away, "Okay, I've kept you hostage long enough. You're free to go."

I chuckled, "Thanks, Jason. I'll see ya later."

So I left the courtyard and went to the library and caught up on some last minute things for school. Once lunch was over, I went to chemistry, one of the few classes I have with Percy and Rachel.

Once I got in class, I sat beside Thalia with Beck and Silena sitting in front of us. Once I sat down, I said, "Hey guys! Did you do the homework?"

I saw Silena and Beck nod and Thalia open her mouth to respond when her voice was drowned out by two obnoxious, high-pitched laughs. Percy, Rachel, and Drew were sitting at, well what used to be my seat, and Rachel was sitting in his lap, running her hand up and down his thigh, while Drew sat in the other seat. I guess Percy had made a joke because Rachel and Drew started laughing.

When Rachel noticed us staring, she sneered at me and leaned down and started making out with Percy. After a while, she opened her eyes and pulled away, she then smirked and winked at me. I scoffed and rolled my eyes as I turned away.

"Gods, could you get any more disgusting than that?" Thalia questioned.

Silena replied, "Oh come on Thals, they're in love." She paused, looking at me hesitantly, "I think it's cute."

"Don't give me that look, Sil. I'm fine. He made his choice and I can live with it." They all gave me 'that' look, the look that said "Okay, if you say so, but we don't believe you', "seriously, guys! All I want is to enjoy my last few weeks in New York with my best friends. Can we please just drop it?" I asked.

They nodded, and then chemistry began. An hour of torture and droning on and on about atomic structure and atoms.

All throughout the lesson, my mind kept wandering. _Why do I have to keep talking about it? I mean, of course, I'm sad about it. Percy was my best friend since we were 6 and I miss him, but he made his choice. Sure, seeing him and Rachel together makes me angry… no that's not the right word… jealous….. Oh… OH. I was jealous. When Percy and Rachel first got together, I was jealous and I thought it was because I felt like I was being pushed out by Rachel, but now Percy and I aren't even friends and I'm still jealous. I'm so jealous that it's hard to see them together. Why? Why am I so jealous of them? Could it be because I have fee-_

"ANNABETH!" Thalia yelled while shaking me, "Come on, we have to get to math."

I nodded and quickly packed up my things.

As Thalia and I walked to math, she said: "So you wanna tell me why you didn't pay attention at all in chemistry, Mrs. Highest-GPA-in-the-class?"

"Oh," I looked down, "Um. I guess I'm just preoccupied. Between packing, school, and prom, I just can't focus."

She nodded, "Yeah, you looked pretty stressed, but just think, we have to get through math and history and then we get to go prom dress shopping." Thalia said with fake enthusiasm.

I laughed, "Oh come on, Thals. You know you're gonna enjoy it."

She scoffed, rolled her eyes, and mumbled, "whatever you say."

We sat down in our seats and the rest of the day dragged on and finally, I was walking out to my car to meet up with the other girls.

"Hey, Annabeth!" I heard Silena yelling. I looked around and found her by her car, "Just wanted to let you know that I'm driving Bianca, Reyna, and Clarisse. You're taking Thalia, Piper, and Hazel. They're already waiting by your car. You know where the place is right?"

I nodded and headed over to see those four leaning on my car.

"Come on girl! I am so ready to get to that store and find THE prom dress!" Piper said.

I hurried over to my car and unlocked my car so we could all climb in. Once we were all settled, with me driving, Piper riding shotgun, and Thalia and Hazel in the back, I said," Okay, now Piper, where is this store?"

She replied, practically bouncing out of her seat, "So you wanna take a right at the entrance of the school and then just keep going and I'll tell you where to turn."

I nodded and we took off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~YAY! A line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Between New York traffic and me missing a couple turns because Piper got distracted, it took us about an hour to get to the store, but when we got there, oh dear gods. It was huge and when we walked inside, the store was filled almost to the ceiling with dresses.

"Oh gods, we are gonna have so much fun! There is so much to look through! Good thing we have all afternoon." Silena squealed. "Okay girls, spread out and start looking. Let's meet up by the dressing rooms in like 20 minutes."

When we didn't move, she turned around and looked at us, "Well… let's go!"

With that, we all took off looking for dresses. After about 20 minutes I headed to the dressing rooms and met up with all the girls, plus 2 girls I've never seen before.

Piper and Silena introduced us, "This is Lacy and Zoe. They are some of the best seamstresses I've ever met and they are gonna be helping us fit the dresses we pick." Once we all nodded, Silena said, "So I think we should do this one at a time so that none of us are distracted with ourselves, we can focus on one person. Who wants to go first?"

Thalia grumbled, "I'll go. I will probably be the fastest. She walked into the dressing room with a handful of all black gowns. After only trying on 2 dresses, Thalia decided on a black dress with a lace bodice that had a v-neck, long sleeves that had traces of the lace pattern trailing down them, and a slit on the left side. She looked absolutely breathtaking, while still looking like Thalia.

Clarisse went next. She tried on 4 dresses before picking an emerald dress with pearls decorating the bodice. Her gown had a v-neck and spaghetti straps. Clarisse was finally satisfied when she realized she could still run in it and the dress didn't contain her movements.

Reyna followed Clarisse. The first dress she tried on was no doubt the one. It was 2 piece, deep purple gown. The top had a high neck with purple jewels covering it. Reyna looked positively stunning and she still looked like she carried an aura of power.

Bianca tried on 6 gowns before landing on the one. She also picked out a 2 piece dress. It had a white lace top with a full, flowing yellow skirt. The dress fit her personality perfectly, bright and happy.

Hazel found a dusty pink gown with spaghetti straps and a v-neck. It was simple and quiet yet elegant and beautiful and everything that Hazel was.

Piper went next. She tried on like 12 dresses, I honestly lost count. Eventually, she decided on a champagne gown with a jewelled leaf pattern flowing down the bodice. It was sleeveless with v-neck and a small slit on her right leg. She looked like she was glowing and she stood out among everyone.

I went next since we all knew that Silena would take the longest. I had to try on 7 different dresses before the group all agreed on which dress I should get. It was a blood red gown with a v-neck and a strappy back. It reached the floor at the perfect length and was everything I imagined.

Silena went last and tried on over 20 dresses. I think she took a whole hour just for her. Eventually, she decided on a light purple/blue tulle dress that was sleeveless with a sweetheart neckline and a beaded bodice. The dress was gorgeous but Silena would have looked good in anything.

After we all picked our gowns and Zoe and Lacy wrote down and measurements and the alterations that needed to be done, we looked at shoes.

Silena picked out gold stilettos with a strap around the ankle and jewels leading up around the heel and covering the rest of the shoes. I chose black, chunky heels with straps wrapping about my foot.

Piper found light gray wedges with an open toe. Hazel decided on a pair close to Silena's that were silver, not gold and with no jewels on the heel.

Bianca picked royal blue, chunky heels with little white flowers flowing up the heel. Reyna chose simple gold heels.

Clarisse found a pair of plain white shoes with a small heel. Thalia picked gold flats with straps wrapping around her calf.

After about 5 or 6 hours, we walked out of the store, ready for prom and for dinner.

 **A/N: Okay guys! Thanks for being patient. I've been struggling with this chapter. I know it's not that good, but it's just building up to all the drama. Thanks for reading! See you soon, hopefully!**


	12. Conversations and Confusion

Chapter 12: Percy P.O.V.

Everything sucked.

And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING.

School was terrible, my grades were dropping because Annabeth wasn't tutoring me anymore. Speaking of Annabeth, we still weren't talking, after two months. Things at home were rough, my mom and Paul were struggling to pay the bills, they were arguing constantly, and she was looking more and more tired every day. I believe they will work it out in the end. All my friends were ignoring me, choosing Annabeth's side, over my own. I would get a few waves and half smiles from the Stoll brothers occasionally, in passing. A nod or two from Nico and Jason, but everyone else would put their heads down and act like I didn't exist.

The only good thing in my life was Rachel. And even that was beginning to fall apart. I was getting so annoyed with her for acting fake when we walked into school, but still being the Rachel that I knew outside of school. We got into quite a few fights over the subject. I told her she needed to decide who she was going to be because I was done feeling like I was dating 2 different people. She stormed out of my apartment and didn't talk to me for 6 days. When we did talk, she said that she didn't know what to say. That she could be two different people, but that she loved who she was with me and who she was with her friends equally and I would have to decide if I could live with it or not… I decided to drop the conversation, realizing that I needed Rachel in my life more than I needed to win a stupid argument.

So that's where my life was. But I had a feeling things were going to change pretty soon.

Prom was nearing and Rachel couldn't be more excited that I was taking her. I mean, why wouldn't I? She is my girlfriend. But anyway, I had already gotten my tux and she had gotten her dress and we were planning where to go to dinner and what to do after… and then the bell rang for us to go to class.

It was 6th period, which meant study hall, which translated to 'do whatever you want, just don't cause any problems.' So there I was walking around the halls of Goode High when I heard 2 voices, one female and one male.

"So, how are you doing? I feel like we haven't really had time to really talk since I helped you pack a few weeks ago." The male said.

The girl sighed, "I know. I'm sorry." I would recognize that voice anywhere- Annabeth, which meant the guy was probably Luke. I know I shouldn't have, but I stood right by the door so I could hear better. I was too curious for my own good and confused. Annabeth should be in history, she never skips classes.

"Things have been really stressful, between trying to finish up my classes here, packing and shipping things to California, and other things…" Annabeth trailed off.

"You mean Percy?" he paused, "look I know that has been hard on you, but you have to let it go. Let him go. It's not healthy for you to stress yourself out like this." Luke replied.

Annabeth sighed again, "I know, but it's just so hard to. I mean we were best friends for 12 years. I just can't believe that I'm leaving for good and it's ending on such bad terms."

"Annabeth, he clearly didn't care about you enough. If he did, he would've done more to try to be there for you." I clenched my fists at that, _How dare he think that I didn't do enough! I worked my ass off to keep my friendship with Annabeth, it just got too complicated._ Luke continued, interrupting my thoughts, "I mean, it took what? 2 or 3 days for Rachel to get between you two, and convince him to stop being your friend. As far as I'm concerned, Percy Jackson doesn't deserve, and he never did. As a best friend or as anything more" _Is that true? Should I have tried harder to protect my friendship with Annabeth?_

She must have paused because when I came out of my own thoughts, Annabeth asked, "What are you talking about 'as anything more'?

"You mean you don't remember? You told me that you thought you had feelings for him that one night we were hanging by the Golden Gate Bridge. It's not that big of a surprise that you don't remember. You were pretty drunk."

"Umm, no I don't remember that. And we both know you can't hold anything I say when I'm drunk against me." She said, "But thanks, Luke. I don't know what I would do without you during all this." Annabeth replied.

"Absolutely. So how is the packing going?" He questioned.

"Good, really good. I've been talking with my mom a lot. She's really excited for me to move in. She's already painting my walls and getting me new furniture for my room. She said that the internship is all set up for me right when I arrive. I'm so crazy excited to be there with her "

I could practically hear Annabeth smiling. I could picture it, her eyes would be bright, almost looking silver. Her dimples would be deep in her cheeks, from smiling so big. She would be moving her arms around, almost like she couldn't contain herself.

"That's really good, Annabeth. I think you're gonna be really happy out there. How is your dad handling all this?"

She answered, "Actually better than I expected. At first, he was angry, calling my mother demanding why he was trying to take his only daughter away from him. But he calmed down when I told him that this was what I really wanted."

Luke said, "I bet you're relieved. Now come on, let's get out of here. I did not convince you to skip class, just so we could sit in an empty classroom all day… although I'm sure there is plenty of things I can think of to occupy us in here." My nose scrunched up at his suggestive tone.

Annabeth laughed, "Nice try, pretty boy. I am so not willing to do it in this crappy place. Let's get out of here!"

Luke laughed and responded, "Oh, but that shed outside of my house is okay?"

I heard Annabeth scoff and hit Luke, "Oh shut up! That was a one-time thing. Ugh, whatever, I'm leaving."

It took a few seconds for my muddled mind to realize that they were coming out, I barely had enough time to jump into the janitor's closet and shut the door before they walked past, still talking and laughing.

I sat in that closet until the bell rang, trying to sort through everything I had just heard. First, Annabeth drinks and then she has sex in a shed. And she confessed that she had feelings me when she was drunk. And she's skipping classes. But all my mind was really on was one question.

Did I know Annabeth Chase at all?

 **A/N: I know… It's pretty short. But the next chapter is sooo much better because it is the PROM chapter! Speaking of which, I already have written, I just have to type it all up and edit it. I hope to have it up by Monday, which is when I start school. :( So updates will be slower than usual! But I will do my best!**

 **More good news- I have a fabulous idea for my next fanfic and I can't wait to start writing it! After I finish this one, of course!**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading! Please favorite/follow/review! It means more to me than you know!**


	13. Hallways and Hope

**A/N: SO HERE IT IS! The prom chapter! I couldn't be more excited for you guys to read this! I'm also kinda sad though because it means that this story is getting closer to the finish line. But do not worry, there are still 5 chapters left, including the epilogue! I also decided to add a BONUS chapter at the end of this story. It's the prom told from Annabeth's point of view. Anyway, I'm sure you all are ready to read, so thank you for doing just that! Let me know what you think!**

Rachel looked good.

She wore a black, strapless gown. It had jewels covering the bodice and a slit running high up her left leg.

She looked really good.

Her red hair flowed down in long curls across her back. Her makeup was done to perfection. Dark gray eyeshadow that made her emerald green eyes pop, her full lips covered in a bright pink lipstick.

My eyes should've only been on Rachel, but I couldn't keep my eyes off someone else.

Because gods, Annabeth looked stunning.

Annabeth wore a deep red gown with a v-neck, showing off much more than I would like. Her dress also had a strappy back that looked like it was intertwined into her tan skin. The gown flowed down to the floor in waves of satin.

She was tragically beautiful. In a way that hurt when you look at her, but that only made you want to look more.

It was a strange sight to see Annabeth wearing makeup, but it was flawless. She had gold eyeshadow and long, black lashes that framed her shining gray eyes. Her lips were shaped with a red as dark as her dress.

Oh, what I would do to kiss those lips.

Her typically messy, curly blonde hair was straightened with braids wrapping around the side of her head, and little red flowers weaved into them.

When Annabeth walked into the room, it was like the whole world stopped and everyone watched her. Probably not, but it felt like it.

She walked in with the rest of the group. They all looked amazing, each guy dressed in a tux and each girl wearing a gown that matched who they were perfectly. But Annabeth stood out the most among them, and so did the person on her arm. Luke, man did I hate that guy, especially after the conversation I overheard a few weeks ago. He was dressed in a black tux with a red tie that matched Annabeth's dress. All I could think was that I would look better on Annabeth's arm. _Luke is too tall for her, and he's not-_

"Percy? BABY! Are you even listening to me?" Rachel said while shaking my shoulder.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Sorry, babe."

She just rolled her eyes, "whatever, let's go dance! Come on babe, girls."

And then we went and danced. A few slow dances here and there, but most of them consisted of people jumping up and down and Rachel grinding on me.

As soon as I saw a chance to get out, I took it and walked over to the punch bowl. I was filling my cup again when the familiar smell of lemon shampoo wafted into my nose.

Only one person I know who smells of lemons. Annabeth.

I turned to see Annabeth reaching for a cup. She glanced at me and smiled. "Hey Seaweed Brain, having fun?" She whispered.

I looked around, "Umm yeah. But, why are we whispering?"

She glanced back on the dance floor, where Rachel, Drew, and Calypso were still dancing. "Because I don't want anyone hearing us talking and then going to tell Rachel. I'm sick of all the drama."

I felt guilty, I shouldn't have to hide the fact that I'm talking to a girl that I've known since I was 6. I sighed, "Yeah, I'm sick of it too. This is ridiculous."

Annabeth smiled sadly, "Oh well, in a couple weeks, I'll be all the way across the country and Rachel won't have to worry about me anymore. Maybe she'll even let you be friends with the others again."

"I still can't believe that you're actually leaving. What am I gonna do without you, Annabeth?" I said softly.

It was her turn to sigh, "Well you've been doing just fine for the past few months, Percy. I think you'll be okay. Besides, I really think this is what's best for me. You know, a fresh start, with my mom, too."

I replied, "I bet you're excited for that. I know how much you look up to her."

She smiled, "Oh gods, Perce, you have no idea. I can't wait to be with her. I've been talking to her the past couple days and she said that I could intern at her architecture firm! How amazing is that?"

And there it was. The image I pictured in my head when I overheard talking to Luke about it that one day. And boy, was it better than anything my mind could make up. I can't hold her back from that. As much as I want to, I need her to be happy.

"Well as long as you're happy, then I am too." I smiled at her.

"Thanks, Seaweed Brain." She paused, "You deserve to be happy too. And if Rachel does that then don't listen to anyone else, be with her. I know I protested a lot at first, but I've realized that I need you to be happy, no matter what or who does that."

She lightly touched my hand that was resting on the table and said, "Um, excuse me for a minute." And then she rushed out.

And that's when it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was in love with her.

I was so fucking in love with Annabeth Chase.

I thought I had feelings for her, but it was so much more than that.

So I did the only logical thing. I ran after her.

I caught up to her right as she was about to go outside.

"Wait Annabeth!" I grabbed her hand and spun her around. When I looked at her, I didn't know what to say. So I didn't say anything, I just kissed her.

And oh good gods, that was some kiss.

It was everything I imagined it would be and more. It was like breathing in fresh air for the first time. It was addicting. I wanted, no needed, more of her.

I pushed her back into a wall and when I couldn't breathe anymore, I pulled away and left a trail of kisses from her lips to her collarbone and back us again.

She was the first one to pull away.

Breathless, she said, "This is cheating. We can't do this."

I grabbed her hand, "You can't tell me this doesn't feel right."

She smiled, "I never said that. But it's still wrong to do it to Luke and Rachel".

With that, she started to walk away. I made her turn back around and I leaned down to kiss her hand. I heard her breath hitch.

I smirked, "You know, you really look like a princess tonight… Princess."

"Oh screw it." She said and this time I was the one pressed against the wall."

We sat there, in that dark hallway, for what felt like hours, just marveling in each others presence. Making up for lost time, I suppose.

When she pulled away again, her lips were swollen and red, but not from her lipstick. Annabeth started giggling.

I smiled, "What?"

"You have lipstick all over your face." She replied.

I groaned and immediately started rubbing my face, "Oh no, not again!"

She laughed and put her hand on my arm, "Hold on, I'll go grab you some paper towels from the bathroom. I have to reapply my lipstick anyway."

I nodded as she walked away.

As I waited for her to return, I thought about what this meant for us. I knew I wanted to be with Annabeth, but I had to end things with Rachel first. And then Annabeth has to break up with Luke. Oh, and Annabeth is still going to San Francisco at the end of the year. I mean, there is still the-

"Percy? Are you here?"  
Oh shit, that's Jason's voice. I quickly tried to wipe my mouth as I heard his footsteps getting closer.

"Oh hey man." He said, slapping me on the shoulder.

"Hey! What's up? Aren't you all like not talking to me or something?" I replied, nervously.

He sighed, "Perce, we aren't icing you out because we're mad at you… well, we were at first and some of us still are. But the others of us aren't talking to you now because we understand in some way. We understand that you need to do this, you know, be with Rachel."

"Really? I guess that makes sense, but not really." I chuckled.

"Yeah I'm not the best at explaining things, but I did my best. So I came out here looking for you because Piper wanted me to tell you that we're having a little after prom and going away party for Annabeth tonight. It's on the beach right after this is over. If you wanna come." Jason said.

I nodded, "Thanks man, for inviting me. I really appreciate it."

"Absolutely! We all know Annabeth would want you there. See you later."

I was only alone for a few minutes with Annabeth showed up.

"Here ya go." She smiled when she handed me some paper towels.

"Thanks." I started wiping my lips and we settled into an uncomfortable silence. "So, um, we should talk about what happened, right?" I started.

She looked and the floor and wouldn't make eye contact. When she finally did look at me, instead of talking she grabbed the paper towel out of my hand and started wiping my right cheek.

"Sorry, you still had some lipstick there." She paused, "But I don't think we need to, uhh, talk about it."

I was shocked, "What? Of course, we do. That- That was something. We can't just ignore it."

Annabeth sighed, "That's exactly what we are gonna do. Look, we are both dating other people and I'm leaving soon. This is just easier. What we did was wrong and we can't change it but… we can try to forget it."

I didn't know what to say. I thought we had something, but I guess she didn't. It was all I could do to nod.

She walked away and back into the gym. Back to her boyfriend who was completely wrong for her and all the friends she still had. While I was left alone in this empty hallway. I stood there for a few minutes before following her footsteps back into the gym.

I spent the rest of the night trying not to stare at Annabeth. Trying to do as she said and forget about it. I put all my focus on Rachel. We danced, we talked, and we laughed. She actually focused on me, instead of how she looked or her friends. It was a nice change.

I finally was able to convince Rachel to leave with me after an hour of pestering. We left Calypso and Drew back at the prom, both had found some new guys to hang on to.

I was driving Rachel home and it seemed like the second we got in the car, the Rachel I wanted and the one I cared about was back. She was taking off her heels and running her fingers through her curls. Complaining about how much her feet hurt and she couldn't wait to get out of that dress.

After about 2 minutes into the ride, Rachel sighed and said, "I'm hungry. The food there was terrible. Let's go to McDonald's!"

I laughed and nodded, "Okay, let's do it!"

I pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later and we went inside. We order and sat down in a booth. As we sat eating, Rachel and I talked. We talked about everything, her new paintings and how the swim team was doing this year.

As we sat there in that moment, I forgot who Rachel pretended to be and who I wanted her to be and I just saw her. And this was the Rachel I loved, but it wasn't the way I loved Annabeth. And as I focused back on Rachel, I knew.

I knew I couldn't stay with her. It wasn't fair to her.

And sitting there, in that McDonalds, I watched Rachel cry and scream at me. I watched her run to my car and try to sit as far away from me in the passenger seat as she could. I watched her run inside her house with a tear-stained face.

But I knew it was the right thing to do, no matter how bad it hurt her, she would recover. I checked the time and realized that the prom only ended an hour ago, which meant that Annabeth and everyone would be at the beach. So I left Rachel's house and drove there as fast as I legally could.

I didn't care what Annabeth said, I wanted to be with her and I knew that she wanted to be with me. I could feel it.

I was telling Annabeth how I felt… tonight.


	14. Toasts and Talks

Chapter 14: Annabeth P.O.V.

 **A/N: I know it's been like 2 months and I'm sorry. It's a tale as old as time, I had no motivation to write anything, and just as I was getting my motivation back Hurricane Florence hit. I live in North Carolina and it hit us pretty hard, so I haven't even had a chance to think about my story in a while. But I figured what better way to forget all my stress but to write? So I turned on my hotspot and just started writing… and this is what came out. I hope it's okay, and I'm sorry it's been so long. Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

Prom was great.

One of the best nights of my life. Being with all of my friends was- who am I kidding? I was miserable for most of the night. I only felt true happiness when I was with Percy and even that hurt, especially watching the light leave his eyes when I told him I couldn't be with him.

It was so incredibly painful to say those things to him, too hard to even put into words. The only way I could think to describe it was that it felt like someone was sticking their hand into my chest and squeezing my heart, slowly and constantly. The feeling hasn't left since that moment.

"Annabeth!?" I turned towards the sound of my name to see Thalia looking at me weirdly.

See, we were heading out to the beach for an after prom/going away party, just our little group. I was riding with Thalia, Piper, and Silena. Luke had to leave to go back to his dorm because it was getting late and he had to work in the morning. I wasn't really complaining though, having him hang on my arm just felt like a huge weight on my shoulder.

"Sorry, what's up?" I replied after a second.

"We were just asking where you disappeared to during prom?" Piper said, turning around from the front seat.

Instantly, a wave of guilt and nerves hit me, thinking back to that dark hallway, "Oh, uh, nowhere. Just to get some fresh air, use the bathroom, you know, typical stuff."

They all looked at me, skeptical, even Silena glanced in her rearview mirror.

Before they could question me further I changed the topic, "So, how much longer?"

Silena looked at her phone, which was directing her to the beach, "With New York traffic, another hour."

We all sighed at that, we had already been driving for an hour and a half. By the time we would get there it would be almost midnight. Luckily, we had rented a few hotel rooms to stay in.

"So what exactly are we doing at this "party"?" Piper questioned.

Sitting beside me, Thalia grinned, "Well the boys and Hazel left earlier than us so they could find a good spot on the beach set up and get the fire going, which they should be starting right about now. Reyna, Clarisse, Katie, and Bianca were making a stop or 2 to grab some drinks and snacks. So basically, we're gonna hang out, just on the beach."

I smirked, "Well I wouldn't have it any other way." Silena and Piper nodded in agreement and we fell into a comfortable silence.

Eventually, Silena turned on the radio and we all just started jamming out and singing to whatever songs came on and before we knew it we were at the beach.

As we all climbed out, we took our heels off, and still in our dresses walked onto the beach and saw, a few miles down, a blazing fire with several crazy boys and one sane girl crowding around it.

"HEY!" Thalia yelled at them. They all turned towards us and starting waving and smiling. We ran over to them and finished help laying out blankets, as we all sat down. We were only there for a few minutes before the rest of the girls showed up, each carrying armfuls of snacks and drinks.

"Well, took you long enough." Leo said, "Uncle Leo is ready to get wasted!"

Clarisse growled at him, "Shut up Valdez, you idiots would have taken twice as long."

They passed around beer and cups of vodka. Chris pulled a speaker from his bag and started to play some music, songs that made you feel warm and content inside, which just help complete the perfect atmosphere surrounding me.

I looked around at all of us and thought of how stupid we probably looked, sitting around a fire on the beach in dresses and tuxes. As we told jokes and laughed at each other, I couldn't help but glance down at the empty seat next to me and wish that Percy could be here. It felt like there was a part of us missing and no matter how many jokes we made or stories we told, none of us could shake the feeling that we were missing our leader. Because that's who Percy was, our leader, and he was born to be. He was the glue, he gave us strength and pulled us all together, even when everything was working against us.

I was jolted out of my thoughts when I felt a soft fabric wrap around my shoulders, put there by the person that has been consuming my thoughts since I walked into the gym for prom.

"You were shivering." He said as he took a seat next to me. I was in shock that he had come.

"I can't believe you came." I half whispered, still staring at him in amazement.

Percy's sea green eyes met my gray ones, staying silent for a minute before looking back at the cup in his hand, _Gods how long was I out of it,_ and saying "Well I couldn't miss your going away party, Wise Girl." He smirked at me and lifted his cup to his lips.

I set my hand on his and said, "Thank you."

He nodded at me and turned his attention towards the rest of the group, who weren't even paying us any attention, "So, who's ready to party?" He asked loudly. Everyone looked at him and shouted.

"Wait, wait, wait. Before we do, I just want to take a minute to say something." He paused and took a deep breathe, " I know we haven't all really been friends with each other lately but that doesn't change that you guys are my family. And I love you, all of you, no matter what shit we put each other, and nothing is gonna change that."

The whole time he was talking, he wouldn't even look in my direction which made me feel even worse. I wish I could turn back time and wipe the whole kiss out of existence, but I also wish I didn't have to wish for that. I want to share so many more kisses with Percy and I want to share every minute with him for the rest of my life because he was my best friend and my soulmate. But I had fucked it up, I fucked it all up.

"Now on that note, I do want to propose a toast. To Annabeth." Percy said as he looked at me, "You have been my best friend for 12 years and I couldn't have asked for anyone better to spend it with. If I could do it all again, even with the awkward middle school years and the drama and the fights, I wouldn't change a single thing, because you make every single second of every single day better than the last. You are so much more to me than just a best friend and I know no matter how far you go, that is never going to change. The amount of distance between all of us will never stop us from being a family. We're all gonna miss you like hell, but we will be waiting for you when you come home. To Annabeth," he raised his glass, "the best there is."

As he finished everyone raised their cups, repeated the words "To Annabeth" and took a sip.

As soon as it was over and everyone went back to their own conversations, it felt like I couldn't breathe. I was so overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with the fact that I was actually leaving all this, all of them, behind, Overwhelmed with all the love I have for all of these amazing and wonderful people. Overwhelmed with the way Percy was looking at me like I was the best thing he's ever seen. It was all too much and I could feel myself trying to hold back tears.

I set my cup down, stood up, and walked away as fast as I could without drawing attention.

I walked to the water, held my dress up, and let the water wash over my feet. I tried to breathe as deeply as possible and smell the sea air, but all it did was remind me of the intoxicating smell of the one person I never wanted to let go of. It just made the tears come faster. They ran down my face, hot and fast. Running down the tip of my nose and over my lips, dripping onto my dress. I couldn't stop them, the sobs racked my body and my breath started coming out in short gasps, as I struggled to get myself together.

"Annabeth?" Percy questioned softly, "Are you okay?"

I couldn't even turn around and look at him, so I just shook my head and stood there sobbing silently. Seconds later, I was enveloped in his warm, strong arms. As I wrapped my arms around his waist, he threaded his hand into my hair, massaging my head slightly.

"Shhh, it's gonna be alright, I promise." He whispered in my ear.

"No… it's not." I managed to choke out.

He pulled me away from his chest and moved his hand to my cheeks to wipe the tears away, with a sad look in his eyes. "Annabeth, what's going on?"

I sniffed, "I don't want to leave Percy. I don't want to leave them," glancing over his shoulder at the rest of my friends, "and I don't want to leave you."

His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, "Then why are you?"

I was at a loss for words, "Well at first I was going so I could be close to my mom, and then I was going to get away from all the drama, but now…" I trailed off.

"Now there is no more drama," He said while smiling slightly, "I actually came here to tell you something," he took a breath and said those five words I've been waiting to hear since January, "I broke up with Rachel."

My mouth fell open at that.

"Once we left prom, I couldn't even imagine staying with her, because she isn't you." He looked down at his feet and watched as a wave came and washed over them and then he continued, "And no one even compares to you, Wise Girl. I don't know how I haven't seen it before now. I guess I spent so much of my time suppressing any possibility of any feelings because I didn't want to risk our friendship."

Before he could continue I asked, "So why are you doing it now?"

He looked back up at me and said, "Because I love you.

He said those three little words without hesitation like it was the easiest and most natural thing in the world to say. His eyes were filled with such passion and emotion, it was hard to keep eye contact.

We stood there, looking at each other, for what felt like hours. I kept opening my mouth to respond and then snapping it shut. I knew I looked like a fish out of water or like a deer caught in the headlights.

Percy chuckled nervously, "Well, Princess, aren't you gonna say something?"

"Seaweed Brain… I… I just-" I stumbled over my words, not knowing how to convey every emotion I was feeling. The only thing I could do was show him.

So I did.

I wadded through the water until we were face to face. I put both hands on each side of his face and pulled his lips down to meet mine.

He did not hesitate to morph his lips into my own, his arms snaking around my waist, one trailing up my back and into my hair.

I leaned into him and just savored this moment because I knew it was going to have to come to an end soon. No matter how much I wanted to stay like this forever, I just couldn't forget how easily he had given up 12 years of friendship for Rachel. I mean how could I date someone who just threw that away so quickly? I would constantly be worrying about when it was gonna happen again. And I knew that I wouldn't be able to handle it if Percy did that to me again.

He was the one to pull away, breathing heavily he said, "So does this mean you're staying?"

Oh, gods, how am I gonna tell him this again?

"Perce, I don't think I can. I need a fresh start."

For the second time that night, I watched the light leave his eyes and his smile fade.

"What?... But Annabeth, you have to stay. Come on, you can't tell me this is nothing," as he gestured between the 2 of us, "Don't you want to see what this could be? What we could be?"

I sighed, "You don't even know how much I do, but I can't," I paused, "Perce when you chose Rachel over me, it hurt. You brushed me off like I was nothing, just someone in your past who you needed to forget."

He looked down guiltily, "I know and I don't even have the words to express how sorry I am. But gods, Annabeth, you make me go crazy. I don't know how to act around you anymore. All I think about is you and the things I want to do to you." He laughed, looking up at the sky, "You don't even want to know what runs through my brain when I see you."

I blushed at that, as thoughts of Percy and I together swirled through my mind.

He smirked at me, "Now, I'm not sure I want to know what you're thinking."

I giggled at that, looking down at my feet, and saw the end of my dress completely soaked and I couldn't even feel my feet anymore.

I opened my mouth to put an end to this conversation when I heard another voice yell out, "Hey! Idiots! Come on, the fire's out and it's getting really late!"

I turned to see Clarisse standing at the entrance to the beach. I turned to where the fire was and saw that all the blankets were gone and any trace of a group there, existed only in the logs that burned a soft orange. _How long have we been standing here?_

We both climbed out of the water, grabbed our shoes and headed towards the cars. I rode with Silena, Thalia, and Piper to the hotel, while Percy drove his car with Grover and Jason in it.

As we started the ride, I started to get nervous that everyone had seen Percy and I kiss, but as the drive stretched on, none of the girls said I worried, signaling they had all been caught up in their own minds.

The ride only took about 45 minutes and we all split up into our rooms to get settled. I was sharing a room with Silena, who I knew would just end up going to be with Beck during the night, so I knew I was going to be alone for the night.

We had gotten to the hotel around 2 and it was about 2:30 when Silena told me she was going to Beck's room and that she wouldn't be back till morning. I had already changed into my pajamas and was laying in the cozy bed. As she shut the door, I got on my phone and started scrolling through Instagram, looking at everyone's prom pictures and trying to forget that I was eventually going to have to see Percy and finish our conversation.

Not even 2 minutes later there was a knock at my door. Figuring that Silena had forgotten something, probably condoms, I ran to the door with nothing but a large shirt that reached down to my thighs.

I yanked open the door, only to come face to face with a pair of sea green eyes that made my knees weak.

He looked me up and down, lingering at my legs, before snapping his eyes back to my face.

Percy smirked at me, "Nice… shirt Wise Girl," he said as he brushed past me into the room.

I blushed, "Seaweed Brain, what are you doing? You should go back to your room and go to sleep."

He made himself comfortable on my bed and replied, "I can't. I got kicked out by Silena. She told me you wouldn't mind if I stayed with you tonight. Guess she doesn't know what's going on between us." He glanced at me.

I sat down on the far end of the bed and sighed, "I don't know where this conversation is going and I can't tell you where I want it to go. But my decision to go to California is final Percy."

He sighed and replied, "Okay."

I looked up from my hands in confusion, "Okay?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, okay. I mean I don't want you to go. Not being around you every day is gonna be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but if it's what you want then I won't be able to change your mind."

I smiled at that, "No, you won't. Thanks, Seaweed Brain. You really are the best friend a girl could ask for."

His face fell a little when I said that, but he instantly perked back up and opened his arms for a hug.

I smiled and didn't even pause before jumping into them.

Now I don't know if we both were a little tipsy from the drinks that night, but all I know is that one second I'm hugging my best friend and the next I'm making out with my soulmate.

It was like I couldn't control myself. Every time we pulled away from each other I told myself that this needed to stop.

 _This needs to stop,_ I thought as I pulled off his shirt.

 _This needs to stop,_ I thought as he pulled off mine.

 _This needs to stop,_ I thought as he kissed down my jawline and neck.

But it never did.


	15. Gone and Guilty

Chapter 15: Percy P.O.V.

 **A/N: No excuses. Just apologizes. I'm sorry it's taken me so long, but here ya go! Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

I still couldn't breathe when I thought about what happened on prom night.

When I woke up that morning and I saw Annabeth curled into my side, with her golden hair sprawled out around her like a halo and her legs all tangled up with mine, I was completely content with my life. Literally, a centaur could have barged into the room and I wouldn't have even blinked.

But as quickly as the contentment came, it disappeared, replaced with a uncontrollable fear.

Fear that I was gonna lose her, fear that this was gonna be the start of something I couldn't control. That fear made it difficult to breathe, like a weight slowly being pushed down on my chest, crushing my lungs. I've felt that for 3 weeks, pulling all the air out of me, constantly.

It's been 3 weeks since I've seen her.

As soon as I felt the weight that morning, I got dressed and drove as far away as possible. I felt so guilty about leaving her like that, she deserved better than that. She would always deserve better than what I could give her.

I didn't show up to school after that, too paralyzed from fear to face her.

Today was the last day of school and I knew I had to face Annabeth. She was leaving for San Francisco tomorrow and I couldn't leave without telling her. So that's where I was, driving to Goode High School to tell my best friend that I was in love with her and all I wanted to do was spend the rest of my life by her side and that I didn't care what I had to do to make it work.

By the time I got to school other students were already flooding in. I think this was the first time I was actually early this whole year.

I slammed my car door shut and ran up the steps, into the halls of Goode High. Running, pushing through the masses of students looking for the blonde curls I was completely captivated with.

I finally made my way to the hallway that held all of our lockers. My eyes scanned everything, stopping for a fleeting second when I saw a flash of blonde, continuing on again when I realized it was an artificial color and the curls were staged.

My shoulders slumped in disappointment when I couldn't find her. I turned around to head towards her homeroom when I was faced with some very angry people.

I chuckled nervously, "Hey guys." I held my hand up in a very awkward wave.

Silena was the first to move, she walked right up to me and slapped me.

"How dare you show your face around here. You should be ashamed of yourself Perseus Jackson! I just can't believe you would do something like that to Ann-"

She was cut off by Thalia grabbing her arm and saying "Sil, just wait a minute."

Silena turned to her with a look of pure disbelief, as did I.

Thalia said, "Don't do too much damage, that's my job."

She lunged at me, but Leo and Jason grabbed her arms and held her back. I started to back away slowly.

"Look, guys, I know you all are really mad at me, and you have every right to be. But you can yell at me later, right now I have to find Annabeth." I said.

Everyone stared at me, some with looks of disbelief and anger and some with looks of sadness. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Hazel stepped forward, put her hand on my arm and said, "Percy, Annabeth's gone. She's leaving today."

My heart felt like it was someone was stabbing little shards of glass into it every second, a pain that never ceased, "What? She wasn't supposed to leave until tomorrow."

"I know, but she moved it up because of everything that happened," Hazel replied and looked at her phone, "She should be getting on her plane in about an hour."

That took a few seconds to process, but when my brain finally caught up with itself, I realized the last thing that Hazel said.  
"Wait, she's not on her plane yet?! I can still catch her," I said as I started running for the exit, "I can do it! I will do it!"

"PERCY stop," Jason shouted. I stopped and turned around to look at him.

"He jogged to stand in front of me and said "Perce, I know you love her and you want to be with her but you really need to think about this for a minute. You need to realize that by going to that airport and telling her how you feel you're being selfish. You are taking away her chance to start over. I've talked to Annabeth and this is something that she really wants, something I think she really needs. So just think about it."

I sighed, "You might be right Jason. But I can't not tell her and wonder for the rest of my life what if I had talked to her, what would've happened? Maybe I am being selfish but I don't care. I have wasted too much of this year, not talking to my best friend because I was scared to realize the feelings I had for her. This is my shot Jase and I have to take it."

I started to run towards the exit before I could even hear his reply. I jumped in my car and rushed to the airport, determined. Halfway there I realized I didn't know what gate she was at or what time her planed boarded, so I called Hazel.

She gave me all the information she had and wished me good luck. I pulled into the parking lot and rushed into the building, running towards her gate number.

My lungs were screaming for air and my knees were aching, but I kept pushing. I got to her gate just in time to hear the announcer say "This is the final boarding call for flight 372A to San Francisco, California. All passengers should proceed to gate 5 now. I repeat, final boarding call for flight 372A to San Francisco, California."

I stopped in my tracks. I was too late. Knowing Annabeth, she was on that flight the minute they opened the gate and I couldn't get on without a boarding pass.

Annabeth was going to spend the rest of her life thinking that she was only a one-night stand to me and I only said those things to get her to sleep with me.

 **A/N: Aww poor Percy :(( and poor Annabeth :(((**

 **Well, that's it for now! I hoped you enjoyed and let me know what you think! I would love to say that I'll be back soon, but I think we all know it might not happen!**


	16. Letters and Leaving

Chapter 16: Percy P.O.V.

 **A/N: Enjoy!**

My ears were filled with loud music and my mouth was filled with the bitter taste of vodka as I sat on a couch in some dingy apartment owned by someone I didn't really know.

It had been two weeks since Annabeth left, five since I had last seen her, and it was consuming me.

At first, I tried to fight it. I called, texted, even emailed her, with no response. I tried to buy plane tickets to fly out there before my friends talked me out of it. So eventually, I stopped fighting it and I gave in. I let the pain consume and I did what my heart was screaming for me to do- forget. And the best way I knew how to do that was to drink.

My friends tried to talk to me about it but I just shut them out, just as they had done to me a few months before. I rarely saw anyone I really cared about anymore, I didn't want to because none of them were her.

I didn't even know how to explain to them what I was feeling. There were no words for it. It was just pain, constant pain that caused my heart to ache. That feeling only went away when I was drunk and couldn't think about it, so I just stayed drunk.

I was brought back to the present when I felt the couch dip with a new presence, a pretty girl I had never seen before.

She had caramel hair, fair skin, and dazzling blue eyes. She smiled at me and said "Hey handsome, I couldn't help but notice you all by yourself. Wanna change that?"

I smirked, "I would love to. Let's head upstairs."

She nodded and grabbed my hand as we walked towards the staircase.

As we started to climb the stairs, someone grabbed my arm and I turned around to see my mom and Paul.

My eyes widened in shock and horror, I didn't want them to see me like this.

"Mom?! What are you doing here?"

She frowned, "Percy I haven't seen you in weeks. I was worried, so I may have tracked your phone."

I looked down ashamed. How could I have gotten so caught up with myself that I didn't even think about my mom?

"Perce, come on. Let's go home and we can talk about everything. You don't have to be strong all the time," Paul said.

As soon as he said those words, it was like my heart collapsed inside of my chest like it was so tired of dealing with all my shit and it knew now that it didn't have to anymore because my brain was finally catching up with it.

Seeing my mom and Paul standing in this dirty, disgusting apartment I knew that I had people who cared about me, maybe not in the way I cared about Annabeth, but they still loved me and they were gonna help me through this.

I just nodded and followed them out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Breaking of the lines~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We got home and I sat on the couch with Paul and my mom in front of me. No one said anything or moved for what felt like forever until my mom leaned over and wiped something off my face. I was brought back to reality and that's when I felt the hot tears dripping down my cheeks.

I tried to get them to stop, rubbing at my cheeks repeatedly, but they just won't stop.

"Ugh! Why won't they stop?" I exclaimed, "I just want it to stop."

My mom grabbed my hands to stop them from scrubbing at my eyes, "Honey, just breathe. Calm down for a minute. What is going on?"

I put my head in my hands, sighed, and told them everything that I had been holding in for months. Not just the story of what happened but every feeling and emotion I had experienced during it. I expressed things I didn't even know I had felt or thought.

After I had finished, I heard Paul say to my mom, "Why don't you go make some coffee? I'm gonna talk to him for a minute."

A minute later, I felt my mom's presence leave and the couch shift to accommodate Paul's weight.

"Percy. I wish I knew how to help you. I wish I could be like every parent in the movies and tell you something that fixed this and made everything better, but I'm not. All I will say is this," he paused, took a breath, and continued "It is very clear to me that you love Annabeth, in a way that others can't even possibly begin to understand. I also know that you are drowning yourself and hiding away so no one sees that or the pain you feel because she left. So, although I can't tell you some magic plan to fix your heart or bring Annabeth back, I can tell you that you should do whatever it takes to heal. If that means that you need to fly out to San Francisco to see her or that you need to disappear a couple more times to get through it, then that's okay. Because you'll always have your mom and me to pull you back and help in any way. You're one of the most loyal and loving people I've ever met, but at some point, you've got to take care of yourself."

Paul shifted around on the couch and took a deep breath.

I smirked, "Wow Paul, I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk about anything, besides English."

He started laughing, "You're probably right."

At that point, my mom peeked her head into the living room, "I heard laughing, is everything okay?" She questioned.

I nodded, "Yeah mom, I'm good."

She smiled, "Good and maybe this will make it better. I have a letter that came in the mail today. The return address is in California."

My heart stopped, my hands shook, and my breath faltered.

I got up and took the letter from my mom's hands. I tore open the envelope and unfolded the paper inside.

 _Dear Percy,_

 _There are no words. No words to describe all that is running through my head at this point. Right now, I am thousands of feet in the air, headed towards a new life and a clean slate, but as I sit here I can't help but feel like there is something lost inside me. Like the biggest part of me is missing, I believe that part is you._

 _I wanted to so badly stay mad at you so that it would be easier for me to leave, but no matter how hard I tried, I can't. So here I am, sitting on a plane full of strangers, wishing it was headed towards New York instead of away from it. But I am afraid that isn't the case and it will not be, even in my wildest dreams._

 _I have a million things to say but a limited amount of room so I will say the biggest one._

 _I love you, Percy Jackson._

 _I'm in love with you._

 _Wow… seeing those words written out is kinda crazy, But also relieving. What a weird combination._

 _Anyway, I don't really know how to explain it. All I know is that my childhood crush on my best friend grew over the years without me even noticing it. Silently, creeping up until it consumed my whole heart._

 _And then it exploded. Into this mess that we find ourselves in now._

 _I have thought this through a lot the past couple weeks. Waking up that morning and not seeing you there crushed my soul and left my body aching in parts I didn't even know could ache. I was and still am confused about what happened that night. I guess I'll be confused for a while about it._

 _After thinking about it, I've decided that you are the best part of my life. The part of my life that was a constant, permanent rock and I am forever grateful for that. But you are a part of the past._

 _I think it is best for me to move on and start a new life. Find someone else who can be my rock and ground me to reality, but you will always have a piece of my heart._

 _You know, Zelda Fitzgerald once said "_ _I've never been able to decide … whether I love you most in the eternal classic half-lights where it blends with day or in the full religious fanfare of mid-night or perhaps in the lux of noon. Anyway, I love you most" and that is the best way I can think of to put it without my thoughts swirling in my head too much._

 _I hope this is not a goodbye, only a see you later Seaweed Brain._

 _With all my love,_

 _Annabeth_

My brain was filled only with thoughts of Annabeth, what she looked like writing this, how she felt that morning when I wasn't there. I only knew one thing at this point.

I turned towards mom and Paul, "Does that offer to go to San Francisco still stand?"


	17. Outside and Opening

Chapter 17: Annabeth P.O.V.

San Francisco is beautiful. The Golden Gate Bridge glistened red like a firetruck and reflected off the blue water. The sun shined during the day and was replaced by the lights of the buildings at night. It was a wonderful place, a place where my mother was and a new career was building. **(A/N: Ha, get it? Cause she wants to be an architect… no? Just me? Okay…)**

But it wasn't home. I had been here for 2 weeks and I longed for New York just as much as I had the minute the plane left the ground, and I longed for the people there too. I thought after writing that letter I would be able to move on and at least attempt to enjoy my time here. But it didn't work, so I tried other things, I even googled "how to get over a guy." I know, it's pathetic, but I didn't know what else to do. Not that it matters, cause all Google's suggestions didn't help either. The only thing that brought me any joy was my internship with my mother.

Now that was something I could go on about forever, but I'll spare the details because I'm sure they're only interesting to me. After only being here for two weeks, I've already met some of the top architects in the industry, one of those being my mother. She's incredibly talented, it blows my mind. I've learned so much from her and I still have 2 more months there!

The internship has been my saving grace, without it I think I would've collapsed into myself after getting here. It takes my mind off of everything I don't want to think about.

Today was Sunday and I had no designs or projects to finish up so I was just laying out by the pool at the house. It was a perfect day for tanning, not a single cloud in the sky and a breeze that kept the overwhelming heat away from your skin. I was reading a new mystery book I had found at this cute little bookstore not far from my mom's office and my earbuds blocked out all other distractions, at least until my phone started ringing.

'Percy' the screen read.

I swear my body went ice cold and then to boiling hot in a matter of milliseconds. _Why was he calling me? Did he get the letter? He shouldn't be calling me, this isn't going to help me move on?_

My fingers trembled as I pressed the red 'decline' button.

Seconds later, my phone buzzed again, this time with texts.

Percy: _Annabeth, please answer. I need to talk to you._

I hesitated over the keyboard. Texting is different, at least this way I don't have to listen to his voice.

Me: _You shouldn't be texting me._

Percy: _Well then you shouldn't respond to my texts. ;)_

I rolled my eyes, frustrated.

Me: _Oh wow, good one._

Percy: _Seriously, if you don't open this door right now. I'm gonna have to break it down._

I started typing without processing what he just said.

Me: _Please, you couldn't break down a door._

Right after I pressed send, my mind caught up with myself and I sent another text.

Me: _Wait, what?_

I pulled out my earbuds and heard a distant banging.

 _There is no way, he's here._ I thought as I got up to investigate.

I pulled open the front door and there he was.

Perseus Jackson. In all his glory. Dressed in black shorts and a white v-neck, like this was normal and he was just stopping by before heading to the beach. His black hair being ruffled by the breeze and his eyes catching the light at just the right angle that I couldn't tell if they were greener or bluer, but either way, they were still stunning.

I could tell he was nervous, the way he fidgeted always gave him away.

I didn't know what to say, I couldn't even breathe. We just stared at each other, until he reached out his hand, which was grasping a white envelope.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, "What's this?" I questioned as I took it from his hand, careful not to let ours meet.

He smirked, "My reply to your letter. I figured I should deliver it in person."

I left the door open and walked into my living room and sat down on the white sofa. I heard the door close and his footsteps follow.

I opened the envelope, careful not to tear the paper too much, trying to prolong the inevitable, scared of what this tiny piece of paper would say.

 _Dear Annabeth,_

 _I have everything to say, and nothing at the same time. Because there is nothing I could say that would fix this situation that I have put us in._

 _I tried to catch you at the airport, but I was too late, as I am with most things._

 _I'm not as good with words as you are, so I'll keep it simple._

 _There is no doubt in my mind that you are the most amazing person. You have never failed to shine a light into a world of darkness. You have always given me strength and hope that things would get better._

 _You are just brilliant._

 _That is the simplest way I can put it._

 _You are going to go to some amazing places, Annabeth Chase. And I want to be there when you do. I don't care where it takes us or how hard it is, cause you are worth it._

 _I want to spend every minute getting to know you even better than I already do. I want to grow with you, learn with you, be inspired by you, and fall even more in love with you._

 _Because that is the simple truth, isn't it?_

 _That I am in love with you and at the end of the day, that is all that I know and all that I want to know._

 _So, Wise Girl, what do you say? Wanna start a life together?_

 _Eternally your Seaweed Brain,_

 _Percy_

As I brought myself out of the spell that the letter had cast over me, I noticed the room was completely silent and that the letter was sprinkled with dots of water.

I looked up at him, "I would say you're pretty good with words." I laughed as I wiped my face and stood up.

Percy walked over to meet me and I held up my hand, "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm here and I have a great internship that's going to help me go places."

His face fell and I wanted nothing more than to go over there and say anything to make that obnoxious smirk reappear.

"Come on, Wise Girl. You've got to give me something here." He begged.

I sighed, "Perce I can't. I want to, I really do. But I have to continue here with this internship because this is something that I want, badly and I'm not going to let it get away because we have terrible timing."

He didn't reply right away. He was looking down at the floor and I could see the gears, as rusty as they were, slowly turning in his head.

Suddenly, he looked up at me, "Annabeth, how long is the internship?"

I was shocked by the sudden shift in his tone, "Umm, just over the summer, why?"

Slowly that grin stretched its way back onto his face and he slowly starting taking steps towards me, "So, is that the only thing really keeping you here?" He questioned as he continued to take steps towards me.

I had to think for a minute, I mean my mom is here but that was pretty much it besides the internship.

I looked back up at him and suddenly he was standing right in front of me, "I guess it is." I answered slowly.

"So, basically what you're saying, is that you would really only need to be here over the rest of the summer, correct?"

I nodded.

Percy continued, "So, you would come back to New York, right?"

"I mean if I had a reason, but right now I really don't. Seriously, look at everything, it's a mess. I didn't really leave on the best of terms with everyone cause they were mad that we did- you know- and that I didn't tell you I was leav-"

If he hadn't of kissed me, I would've kept rambling for hours trying to make excuses.

I never knew that you could feel so many things in one kiss. I would probably spend hours trying to think of every emotion and a word to describe it.

Kissing Percy was like riding a rollercoaster, scary but thrilling, and something you wanted to do over and over again just to feel that again.

It was just wonderfully indescribable.

He pulled away and looked into my eyes, " Annabeth Chase, move back to New York after the end of the summer and see where life takes us from there."

The way he said it like it was a statement instead of a question, made my head spin. I didn't even hesitate before I replied, "Okay."

 **A/N: Well that is all my lovelies! I hope you enjoyed! If you did, leave a review! And if you didn't… leave a review!**

 **Okay wow, I have been watching wayy too much youtube! Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	18. Epilogues and Endings

Chapter 18: Percy P.O.V.

 **A/N: I know what you're thinking. How can this be the epilogue? How can this be the end? But it is and it is bittersweet. I decided to end it here, mostly because I'm kinda bored with this story and am ready to start a new one, but also because it fits. I left Percy and Annabeth in a good place, and as you will see, they stay in a good place, and this story ending fits perfectly with my life at the moment. I won't get into it, but there's a lot in my life ending as well and I want to put what I know into my writing. So thank you all for reading, even if you didn't like it, thanks for giving it a chance. If you ever reviewed, thank you for continuing to give me encouragement and energy to continue with this story. I hope you all enjoy what I did with it! This one is you guys, as they all are!**

8 years later...

Who knew life could be so sweet?

Have you ever gotten that feeling that you just have never been so content with your life? Like the zombie apocalypse could start and you would continue to walk around with a smile on your face?

Well, I've had that feeling for the past 8 years of my life.

Annabeth and I are 25 years old now. We both have great jobs, she's an architect and I'm a manager of an aquarium, it's safe to say she makes all the money. We still live in New York, we never got the urge to move anywhere else.

We also got married almost 3 years ago. It was absolutely perfect. Everything's kinda a blur though, except for Annabeth walking down the aisle in that pure white dress that made her skin glow and her eyes shine. And then the next thing I remember is the honeymoon.

The past has been amazing and the future is looking even better because soon there will be 3 of us. We found out a little over 4 months ago that Annabeth was pregnant and it's felt like a lifetime because now all we can do is wait.

We are actually on our way to Jason and Piper's house to have our gender reveal since they've been through this process twice now, we decided they were the best people to throw the party.

Finally realizing I got caught up in my own mind as I'm driving, I look over to see Annabeth. Surprisingly I find her asleep, her right hand propped up on the armrest of her seat and the left resting on her bump, I could see the gold band on her left hand glistening in the setting sun and for the thousandth time I am awestruck by how wonderfully blessed I am to be in this moment. Blessed to be with Annabeth, blessed with a child, blessed to just be loved, as I hope everyone is.

Oh, by the way, we're having a girl! :)

 **Thank you and good night!**


End file.
